Concussion
Concussion is a heavyweight robot which competed in Series 9 and 10 of Robot Wars, entered by a Dorset-based team. Concussion’s spinning drum was manufactured by Simon Scott of Team Razer. It reached the Grand Final at its first attempt and earned a place in the 10 Way Rumble ahead of the Series 10 Grand Final. Concussion is two-wheel driven, and is invertible. The robot is painted orange around its slightly sloped sides, where the Concussion name is carved out of the metal. Its weapon is a very powerful spinning drum, which features a single bar-long tooth for maximum impact. However, Concussion’s wheels are exposed to overhead attacks. Notably, the team 3D printed their own removable link to lower the chances of the link falling out during battle. Robot History Robot Wars Series 9 Concussion competed in Episode 3. In its Group Battle, it faced Series 8 fourth-place finisher Thor, fellow newcomer Tauron and another Series 8 returnee, Chimera2. At the start, Concussion immediately lunged at Tauron, but missed, only to slam into Tauron’s side and immobilise it. Seconds later, it flipped Chimera2 over, before chasing Chimera2 as it drove over the arena spikes. Chimera2 pushed Concussion back before Concussion spun away and hit its wedge. Concussion drove away as Thor axed Chimera2, before pushing Chimera2 into the CPZ and getting underneath it as Thor charged in to separate the two robots. A slam from Thor freed Concussion, allowing Concussion to hit its side twice with the drum as Chimera2 was counted out. As a result, Concussion progressed to the Head-to-Head round along with Thor, although not without losing drive to one side as a result of a burnt-out motor. In the pits, Dorset Roboteering Team found that the affected drive motor was irreparable, and were forced to equip Concussion's second spare drive motor due to a faulty weld in their first spare. Concussion's first Head-to-Head battle saw it face Thor for the second time, with both robots slamming into each other in the opening seconds. It chased and pushed Thor towards a CPZ as the latter triggered 'Rogue House Robot', but was caught by Dead Metal and pinned against the wall as the latter sliced into its top panel. Dead Metal released Concussion from his grasp, where it momentarily hesitated before pursuing and slamming into Thor. Concussion hit Thor a few more times, sending sparks flying and causing CO2 to vent from the latter's axe mechanism, before driving over Thor’s wedge and momentarily lifting off the floor as it did so. Another couple of hits deflected Thor away and sent Concussion onto the partially-lowered pit panel, leaving it unable to drive away as its ground clearance was too low to drive out of it. Thor slammed into Concussion again, with Concussion lifting and dislodging a belt from underneath Thor. Both robots became stuck together as a result, before Thor freed itself using its axe and Concussion spun around on the pit panel as Thor pressed the Arena Tyre a second time. This activated 'Rogue House Robot' mode again, resulting in Matilda ramming into Concussion and getting wedged on top of it. With Concussion stuck underneath Matilda, Thor axed Matilda's tusks before Dead Metal grabbed Concussion again and the three robots separated. Still trying to drive itself off the pit panel, Concussion drove around in circles, only to clip Thor's left-hand wheelguard with its drum and flip it over as the latter charged towards it. With Thor left unable to self-right due to a depleted CO2 supply, Concussion emerged victorious, scoring three points for its first knock-out victory. However, Dorset Roboteering Team still encountered problems with the robot's drive systems, with all of its motors and speed controllers having burnt out following that battle. Despite the prospect of the team forfeiting their place, they repaired Concussion for its next battle with seconds to spare. The second Head-to-Head saw Concussion face Heavy Metal, a new robot from the experienced Team 13. It drove around Heavy Metal at the start, pursuing it across the arena before slamming drum-first into its wedge. Sparks and rubber treads from Heavy Metal's wheels flew across the arena as Concussion hit it again, before Concussion flipped Heavy Metal over and buffeted it towards the wall. Another slam from Concussion ripped Heavy Metal's right-hand wheel off and sent it flying out of the arena, leaving Heavy Metal immobilised on one side and unable to drive straight. Concussion sat in the middle of the arena until 'cease' was called, and scored another three points to remain first on the leaderboard with a total of six. This was enough for it to secure a guaranteed place in the Heat Final, even before its last Head-to-Head against M.R. Speed Squared. Before the battle started, M.R. Speed Squared encountered problems attempting to get its spinning weapon working, with Dorset Roboteering Team both discussing the issue with Team Forsey and evaluating their tactics in light of this. As the battle began, Concussion drove around and deflected M.R. Speed Squared, the latter spinning uncontrollably as its weapon powered up. This was enough to flip M.R. Speed Squared over and disable its weapon, with Concussion pursuing, hitting and pushing M.R. Speed Squared along the arena before the latter pressed the Arena Tyre to activate the pit. Concussion again hit M.R. Speed Squared, lifting it on top of itself with the drum, before attempting to pit it. Both robots swerved away from the pit edge, with Concussion hitting M.R. Speed Squared a few more times before pushing it over the Flame Pit and into Dead Metal. Once M.R. Speed Squared escaped, Concussion hit and pushed it again, seemingly unable to damage M.R. Speed Squared, before shoving it into Dead Metal and chasing it towards Sir Killalot. Concussion flipped M.R. Speed Squared onto itself again in the process, forcing Sir Killalot to grab and lift M.R. Speed Squared off in an attempt to separate them. Once M.R. Speed Squared was thrown across the arena by Sir Killalot, Concussion again pushed it towards the pit, and started smoking as it hit and flipped M.R. Speed Squared a few more times. More smoke billowed as M.R. Speed Squared pushed it back, with Concussion noticeably losing speed and mobility across the arena floor as it tried to retaliate. Still smoking, Concussion was rammed again by M.R. Speed Squared, and spun itself and its drum in an attempt to display its remaining signs of mobility. Despite this, it managed to hit M.R. Speed Squared twice more before 'cease' was called, and survived to a Judges' decision. Even with its reduced mobility, the decision went unanimously went in favour of Concussion, awarding it two points and first place on the leaderboard with eight points. Even with continuing repairs and uncertainties surrounding the reliability of its left-hand drive motor, this result confirmed Concussion's place in the Heat Final, where it faced Thor once again. At the start, Concussion slowly moved forwards as Thor rammed into it, before driving around and deflecting Thor away with a front-on blow. It chased Thor around the arena before hitting its side and wedge a few more times and almost flipping it onto its back. Again, Concussion pursued and hit Thor's wedge, with another hit causing Thor's CO2 system to leak for the second time, before gingerly pressing the Arena Tyre as Thor tried to push it back. This released the pit, with Concussion continuing to hit, chase and lift Thor with the drum as the two robots momentarily drove close to Dead Metal. Eventually, another succession of blows resulted in Concussion flipping Thor over, with Thor self-righting immediately in response. More frontal slams allowed Concussion to buckle Thor's front wedge, before the two robots locked together and Concussion was pushed back and nearly axed by Thor. Both backed away, with Concussion nudging Thor as it briefly stopped moving near the Flame Pit. Thor regained mobility shortly after, and pushed Concussion over the Flame Pit seconds before 'cease' was called. Both robots survived to a Judges' decision as a result, with Concussion unanimously winning the decision and progressing to the Grand Final. The newcomer went into the Grand Final as an underdog, being drawn against bar spinners Carbide and Ironside3 in its Group Battle. Concussion was very fearful of these spinners, and it merely backed away when 'activate' was called, slowly nearing the Arena Tyre before sustaining a huge blow from Carbide. Concussion was sent reeling into the Arena Tyre, opening the pit, but Concussion had already lost drive on one side. Concussion turned to face Ironside3 weapon-to-weapon, but then both bar spinners launched a joint attack, each hitting both sides of Concussion. The final attack from Carbide sent Concussion spinning straight back into the Arena Tyre, where Shunt axed the fully immobile robot, and barged it into the wall. Concussion was counted out, and it was eliminated from the Grand Final at this early stage. Results Wins/Losses *Wins: 8 *Losses: 5 Category:Competitors Category:UK Robot Wars Competitors Category:British Robots Category:Heavyweight Robots Category:Robot Wars 2017 competitors Category:Robots with Drums Category:Invertible Robots Category:Robots from Dorset Category:UK Robot Wars Grand-Finalists Category:Robots with more wins than losses Category:Robots with Medical or Diagnostic names Category:Robot Wars Series 10 Robots Category:Robot Wars Rumble Competitors Category:World Championship competitors Category:Robots whose final appearance resulted in a win Category:World Champions Category:Robots that have forfeited